Whether you prioritize sound quality, comfort, or noise cancellation, here’s a review of the best earphones and headphones you can buy right now.
When my small-town parents visited Toronto for the first time, what struck them most wasn’t the number of people or the height of the buildings: it was the earphones. Nearly everyone on the street wore them: pedestrians zoomed through intersections, all bobbing their AirPod-adorned heads or talking into thin air. One person even yanked them out when asked for directions, with a look that screamed: Aren’t earphones the universal sign for “Don’t Talk to Me?”
We’ve been deeply entrenched in earphone culture since the days of the bulky, always-cool Beats by Dre. Lately, our earpieces have shrunk and become more than just music-blasting powerhouses — they are our intimate companions; small technological marvels that many of us wear like jewelry for hours on end.
But sifting through the multitude of options and picking the right earphones can be a daunting task. Here, I’ve reviewed seven of the most popular pairs of earphones — after using them throughout a workday and a sweaty workout — to help you decide which ones are best for you.
- Apple AirPods Pro 2nd Generation
- Why it’s great: Stellar noise cancellation and exceptional battery life.
- Room for improvement: Only Apple users can access all the benefits.
Image credit: popularmechanics
Love them or hate them, the main criticism around Apple is that the updated versions of their products often vary little from their predecessors (see: iPhones 6 through 14). The AirPods Pro 2nd Generation, however, are a significant exception and are miles ahead of their non-Pro counterparts. Like many others, I spent much of last year using the standard AirPods (not the Pros), whose long frame many likened to cigarette butts for the ears. The Pros not only look sleeker but also perform much better. The phone pairing is seamless, the battery life is plentiful, and the noise-cancelling technology is superior to any other device on this list. I wore them on a flight and could barely hear the constant engine hum — let alone the crying babies.
I recommend the AirPods for Apple users only. Others could still use the AirPods as they connect via Bluetooth, but they will miss out on features like voice-activated Siri commands and seamless battery life checking. If you don’t have an iPhone, you’re better off looking elsewhere.
2. Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II
- Why it’s great: Customizable noise cancellation, powerful bass, and clear sound.
- Room for improvement: Some Amazon shoppers reported issues connecting to the accompanying app.
Image credit: rtings
Android users, these are your AirPods Pro counterparts. The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II feature nearly equivalent noise-cancelling technology, carry similar cultural cache (at least in music-lover circles), and even cost the same. When you buy earphones at this price point, you expect a few perks beyond pristine sound and ear comfort — and the Bose earphones deliver. They come with customizable levels of noise cancellation, which is incredibly useful. It allows me to go full-silence mode when I wear them to work and then wear them around at half-noise while walking or running in the city when I need some level of spatial awareness. That setting, along with their sleek look and durability, makes the QuietComfort perfect for all-day wear. You can wear them at work and then keep them in for your end-of-day workout. Like the AirPods with the iPhone, these devices pair beautifully with the Bose Music app, allowing users easy manipulation of the noise cancellation setting, sound preferences, battery life, and software updates.
- Why it’s great: Sweat and dust-resistant, high-quality sound, personalized feedback.
- Room for improvement: If you already have a smartwatch, you may not benefit from the added features.
Image credit: soundguys
The Jabra Active Elite 7 is perfect for the fitness enthusiast who can’t get enough exercise metrics. Many devices — watches, phones, rings, and bands — now provide detailed information about your workout, but the Elite 7 is the first set of earphones I’ve seen do so. They have built-in motion sensors that track activity and provide real-time suggestions and personalized feedback, all accessible through the Jabra Sound+ app.
Here’s the thing: many people, like myself, already have a watch that handles all of this. Nevertheless, it’s a fun feature and adds to the Elite 7’s overall technological appeal. They are robustly sweat and dust-resistant, have a useful Find My Jabra feature that prevents you from losing them, and through the app, they adjust bass and treble to suit your specific ears. Even if you don’t care for the fitness data, they’re still well worth the buy.
- Why it’s great: Comfortable during exercise, frees ear canal.
- Room for improvement: Bulkier than its counterparts.
Image credit: shokz
The Shokz headset is unlike anything else on this list. The key difference is that it does not cover your ear canal. Instead, its small speakers rest on the cheekbones right in front of the ears and deliver sound via bone conduction. The idea is to enjoy music without losing awareness of your surroundings. It sounds strange, but it works.
As I mentioned, I enjoy city runs — and I like the OpenRun Pro because they help me strike a balance between vigilance and tranquility. They play loudly enough for me to enjoy my tunes while still allowing me to hear the noise of an approaching cyclist or car. A bonus for exercisers is that the Shokz are sweat-resistant, and despite their bulk, they rest comfortably on the head without bouncing. That said, if you’re the type who wants to immerse yourself in music and completely forget the world for a while, the Shokz might not be for you.
- Why it’s great: Affordable, comfortable, and stellar battery life.
- Room for improvement: Some customers note the earphones are “not good” for calls.
Image credit: jblonlinestore
When shopping for earphones, not everyone wants to pay a premium for a plethora of features — some people just want a reliable speaker. If you’re not overly excited about having Siri in your ear, sound waves coursing through your cheekbones, or workout data from your earphones, and prefer something that simply plays solid music for hours on end, I’d recommend the JBL Tune 130NC. For $130, it’s a great buy: the tracks may not be as crisp as those from, say, the Bose QuietComfort, but the difference is too small to make you stop mid-workout longing for more bass. There is also some noise cancellation, and the charging case extends listening time to a lengthy 24 hours. I also like their durability: all of my past JBL products have gracefully withstood the test of time and performed well for several years.
- Why it’s great: Fast Fuel feature provides 1.5 hours of play with a five-minute charge.
- Room for improvement: Some users note these earbuds are “big and bulky.”
Image credit: istyle.rs
The first time I tried the Beats Fit Pro, I did my best not to compare them to their powerful big brother, the Beats By Dre headphones, out of fear of being disappointed. And sure, small pods cannot deliver quite the same deep sound as a device 50 times their weight, but these earphones still live up to their namesake and pack a significant punch. I even found myself lowering the volume of bass-heavy songs.
On top of having excellent speakers, these devices also come with a few clever features. The first is Transparency Mode: a noise-cancelling feature that lets in external sounds when they are particularly loud or distinct to keep you aware when necessary. I tested this on a busy street: the earphones blocked out the city’s constant hum while letting in an occasional sharp car horn. The second feature is Fast Fuel, which gives the Fit Pros 90 minutes of battery life with just a five-minute charge.
- Why it’s great: Unmatched sound quality, easy pairing with Apple devices.
- Room for improvement: Some reviewers found the earphones fell out of sync too easily.
Image credit: ubuy.rs
Think of the Powerbeats Pro as a blend of the AirPods and the Beats Fit Pro. They have all of the Fit Pro’s features, but their built-in Apple H1 chip allows you to access fun features like Siri and iCloud syncing, as well as easily taking calls during a workout. While the noise-cancelling tech may not be as powerful as that of the AirPods, the music quality here is better and more suitable for bass lovers. I also consider the Powerbeats Pro the most comfortable on this list — they fit snugly without pressing on my ear and stay in place during hard running or intense plyometric workouts. If you are considering the Beats Fit Pro but want something that keeps you a bit more connected to your phone, it’s worth spending the extra $30 for the Powerbeats.
By Andrej Kovacevic
Updated on 6th June 2024